XIII Final Fantasy Games in XIII Days

In just two weeks, Square Enix will launch their next installment of the Final Fantasy series: Final Fantasy XIII.

This game has been one of the most hyped and eagerly awaited games in the entire Final Fantasy series.  Not just because it is the next numbered installment of one of the biggest names in the role playing genre, nor because it is the first Final Fantasy on this current generation of consoles, but because it is the flagship title for a the Fabula Nova Crystallis (that would be Latin for “The New Tale of the Crystal”) collection, which Square Enix plans to expand upon for the remainder of this decade.

Square Enix has gone to the well with this tactic before with the Final Fantasy VII Compilation and Ivalice Alliance.  Both of these collections, however, were afterthoughts.  The Final Fantasy VII Compilation only started to come together well after the initial release of Final Fantasy VII and was comprised of several spin off games and movies related to the original game’s cast and story.  The Ivalice Alliance likewise came about a couple months after the release of Final Fantasy XII and tied together older games such as the Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance series, as well as adding on new games such as Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, Final Fantasy XII: International Zodiac Job System (never released in the US), and the re-release of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PSP (entitled Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions).  Unlike the Final Fantasy VII Compilation, the Ivalice Alliance only had the common link of the world of Ivalice and didn’t necessarily involve the same cast of characters.

This time around, the Fabula Nova Crystallis series has been planned out well in advance.  Each game will center around a common theme this time around with the centerpiece being a famous part of the Final Fantasy story: the crystal.  While each game will occur in a different world and a different cast of characters, the crystal will tie it all together, creating the mythology for each world as well as aiding in plot development for each game.  Each game will also take place in a futuristic setting (this is the “new story” after all) as well.

Final Fantasy XIII will lead this charge and introduce gamers to this new collection, with Final Fantasy XIII Versus and Final Fantasy XIII Agito to follow later on.

As I mentioned earlier, with this next-gen release of their flagship series, the Square Enix has put the hype machine into overdrive.  Japan was absolutely bombarded with any and everything Final Fantasy XIII…actually…bombarded might be a conservative estimate, as Japan was introduced with not only several ads and banners, but also a new carbonated beverage and a perfume.  The hype has also extended to the States.  LA residents were greeted by gigantic banners and even here in my hometown of Dallas, Square Enix sponsored part of the NBA All-Star weekend.  Yes, that’s right, NBA fans were able to witness the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game sponsored by Final Fantasy XIII.

Crazy hype aside, I have been looking forward to this release for a very long time.  The Final Fantasy series has easily been my all-time favorite.  The series introduced me to the RPG, and ever since a friend let me borrow Final Fantasy IV (well, in those days, it was actually called Final Fantasy II), I have been hooked.  And with the release so close, I have also wanted to toss in my own small brand of hype in preparation for this release.

So I decided that, for the next thirteen days, I will be counting down and ranking the previous thirteen numbered installments of the Final Fantasy series (see what I did there?).  The countdown will start tomorrow and end with what I consider the best Final Fantasy game to date on the eve of the release date for Final Fantasy XIII (as I’m sure come release day, anyone that was reading the countdown will be playing).

For those thinking I am having severe issues counting and wondering why I am saying there are thirteen numbered installments, it is because I am counting Final Fantasy X-2, the direct sequel to Final Fantasy X, in this countdown.  Why am I including that game and not any other Final Fantasy game?  Simply put, it’s gameplay is similar to the rest of the numbered installments.  The Final Fantasy Tactics series as well as spinoffs from other numbered Final Fantasy games are completely different animals as those games ranged anywhere from action-based, strategy-based, fighting, and a third-person shooter.  Basically, I’m trying to compare apples to apples and not apples to oranges here (plus it keeps the game count at thirteen!).

How will I be making these evaluations? I will take a look at what I consider the major staples of the series: the story, the villian(s), the characters, the battle system, the music, and the side-quests that are involved in each game.

Translation: it will be completely subjective and based solely on my opinion.

Every morning I will publish a new post and the next game in my ranking will be revealed.  So make sure to swing by here every day as I take a nostalgic look at a series that has sucked my life away like none other.  I will keep a running tally of each game in the list below.  Each game will be linked to it’s respective post, so if you happen to miss a day (or jump into the countdown late) it will be very easy to play catchup.

Update: Trying to do this in thirteen days started out as a wonderful idea, but being ahead soon turned into finishing posts the day before and then resulted in me falling behind.  The countdown will continue, but uh…think of it as thirteen random days!  I will stay on the posts as best I can, but rest assured the countdown will (eventually) complete as planned.

XIII Final Fantasy Games in XIII Days:

13. Final Fantasy II
12. Final Fantasy
11. Final Fantasy III
10. Final Fantasy X-2
9. Final Fantasy XI
8. Final Fantasy VIII
7. Final Fantasy IV
6. Coming Soon

iThink Apple Has Lost Their Minds

Yesterday, Steve Jobs and Apple finally unveiled their next rumored touch screen technical marvel: the iPad.

For quite a few weeks there was all kinds of speculation on just how much Apple’s next big thing would change everything.  Some were expecting a new wave in personal computing, a true start to touch screen computers becoming mainstream.  The expectations seemed to equate with the affect the iPhone had on technology.  The iPhone quite literally changed everything, and while people can debate which smartphone is the best, the fact remains that the iPhone is the benchmark for every other smartphone out there.

However, we didn’t get that at all yesterday.  What Apple delivered instead falls somewhere between the biggest nerd let down of all time and the best example of a corporation trying to cash in on their own name.  The iPad is nothing more than an oversized iPod Touch.  Oh sure, the iPad features the new A4 chip, but the fact still remains that Apple is trying to sell us something we already have.

Juff Dunham has a great line in one of his routines (ok, well it was his puppet Peanut, but I digress): “Polish a turd, but it’s still a turd!”  Well, polish up the iPad all you want, but it’s still an iPod Touch.  Save for a larger screen and a possibility to run apps in a slightly different manner, Apple isn’t breaking any new ground here.

What’s even worse is that Apple is still refusing to remove two of the biggest constraints that drive iPhone and iPod Touch owners insane: lack of multitasking and lack of Flash support.  And if that all wasn’t enough, you then have to consider the amount of money you need to shell out for this thing.

Remember, Apple is quite proud of this "affordable" pricing structure.

When you look at the costs, you just have to wonder what the hell Apple is thinking here.  My current iPhone cost me $99 via an upgrade from the first generation model.  Had I splurged for a 3GS, the pricetag would’ve been $199.  Even with a full cost of either phone, I am still well below the low end price of an iPad, and I would have a device that contains far more functionality that the iPad ever will because I have voice, voicemail, SMS, and MMS capabilities.  The only difference is touch screen size and that is not worth a difference of around $200-300 for a low-end iPad.

Then you also have to consider that Apple is saying I should purchase their piece of mobile technology over that of say a netbook or laptop.  Using the $499 price point, it took me literally less than a minute to find another device that will outperform the iPad.  When comparing that laptop with the iPad, the iPad has the following advantages:

  • Lighter weight
  • Better looking design
  • Touch Screen
  • Better Battery Life

However, the laptop has the following advantages over the iPad:

  • Larger screen
  • Can multitask
  • Flash can be supported
  • Larger Storage (160 GB)
  • Faster Processor
  • Can play DVDs by popping in a disk
  • Can play far more advanced and modern games than those in the app store
  • Software capabilities are not limited to the app store

Now I could go on even further, but it really isn’t needed.

The main point is that Apple seems to have completely forgotten what made the iPhone and iPod Touch so widely successful.  People, myself included, were willing to spend $200 on an iPhone or iPod Touch because they were offering functionality that was unheard of for a phone or a portable music device.  Simply put, they outperformed the alternatives that were out at the time and they continue to stand in the top-tier of said devices.

The iPad does not do this.  While Apple will surely argue that the iPad’s prices are far below that of any tablet PC, it would be like comparing apples and oranges as the functionality between the two are worlds apart.  If the iPad is competing against anything, it would be the iPod Touch.

Apple seems to be doing nothing more than attempting to cash in our their own brand name and hype.  The iPad has been dressed up as the next big thing and are hoping their smoke and mirrors routine will translate into sales.  If the iPad translates into a success for Apple, it will be because of their marketing and not because of their product.

Make no mistake, all Apple did was deliver an overpriced iPod Touch that will also cause more strain on AT&T’s 3G network.

Joy.

Did That Just Happen? Part 2: Hello Kiffin!

As the National Championship came to a close, it seemed the world of college football would go back into peaceful slumber and all of the insanity that occurred during the bowl season appeared to be behind us all.  However, just as I was ready to turn my full focus to the NFL, contemplating the start of the Brian Kelly era, and beginning to wish baseball season was about to start, everyone associated with Southern Cal Athletics apparently decided it was their turn to take hold of the  “Lose Your Damn Mind” wheel.

With the NCAA looming large over the Trojans thanks to several different violations, most notably the scandals of Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo, USC figured they would sacrifice their basketball program in hopes to please the NCAA from taking further action.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, rumors started popping up that Pete Carroll was the top target for the Seattle Seahawks, and some sources even went as far as saying it was basically a done deal.  Just a couple of days later, the deal was done, and Carroll swiped a life boat of the Titanic before the NCAA delivered their final blow to USC.

Of course, though, looming sanctions had no effect on Carroll’s decision:

Talking with the Los Angeles Times, Carroll said his pending move wasn’t in reaction to possible sanctions the Trojans’ program faces as a result of an ongoing investigation over whether players may have received improper benefits.

“Not in any way,” Carroll told the newspaper. “Because I know where we stand. It’s just a process we have to go through. We know we’ve fought hard to do right.”

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight…

However, the fun (and laughter as USC’s expense) was only beginning.  Those Trojan fans that had previously laughed at Notre Dame’s coaching searches, seeing coach after coach deny rumors and interest of a home under the Dome, were severed one of the largest slices of humble pie in recent memory.  No one wanted to touch the USC job with a 10-foot pole with the NCAA ready to cripple their coaching era immediately.  Top candidate Jack Del Rio quickly became USC’s version of a Bob Stoops rumor as he denied any job offer was made.  Washington coach, Steve Sarkisian, had to deny similar rumors as well.  With seemingly no clear cut candidate on the market, and with recruits wavering after Carroll’s departure, the Fall of Troy was looking all but certain.  In fact, many a Notre Dame fan began to hope for what could have been the most humorous hire of all time:

Don't lie, this would've been amazing.

However, it seemed we were all not thinking outside of the box.  The evil geniuses at Southern Cal had something else up their sleeve.  They knew exactly the kind of person that would be more than happy to take on a program riddled with NCAA violations, has no shame, and has absolutely zero issues leaving a job after just 14 months:

KIFFYKINS!!!

I thought this was all just another awful (yet humorous) internet rumor, but no, Lane Kiffin actually did prove he is one of the worst human beings on the planet and left Tennessee for Southern Cal.  I’m pretty sure this reaction says it all:

This must've done wonders for Meyer's health.

The hits just kept on coming that night, as Kiffin had a press conference to bid farewell to Tennessee in what might just be one of the worst pressers ever:

Yes, you heard right, he definitely said he gave his all for 14 months and also called USC by the name they detest, Southern Cal.  Simply amazing.

How you can even remotely justify hiring a coach that in just a single season, committed multiple secondary NCAA violations, and also had some of his players arrested for armed robbery?  Then of course you have some other humorous incidents that have come to light, mainly that Kiffin neglected to obtain a Tennessee driver’s license and also wrecked a Lexus that was loaned to him.  This is the guy you want while the NCAA already has the magnifying glass on you?  Really?!

It isn’t even as if a change in location would change anything; in fact, one of Kiffin’s assistants, Ed Orgeron, attempted to poach Tennessee recruits and get them to flip to USC during Kiffin’s “farewell” presser.  While Orgeron’s actions weren’t technically against any NCAA rules, it certainly is beyond an unethical move of the highest level.  Just think about it: he was recruiting for USC, while still in Tennessee facilities.

Have no fear though, it took Kiffikins just 10 days to obtain his first secondary violation as head coach of USC by picking up a recruit in a limo.  So much for keeping his nose clean (also that might be a record for violation speed, I’m impressed).  At it seems that Lane’s crazy ways has rubbed off on dear old dad, as a high school athletic director had this to say about the Trojans new recruiting habits:

[Nickell Robey is] planning to visit Southern Cal next week. Monte Kiffin has been very persistent. He’s probably been in here more than is legal. Of course they don’t pay attention to the rules.

It is almost as if Kiffin and company are trying to create their own version of “The U”.  Simply replace over the top attitude and celebration dances with secondary recruiting violations and that’s pretty much what you have.  Kiffin is either overconfident in believing the NCAA won’t do anything to him or he is just that stupid.  Personally, I’m thinking it is the former as the NCAA hasn’t really done anything more to Kiffin than a couple slaps on the wrist; however, with USC already in hot water all of this could come back to bite him squarely in the ass.

Either way, Southern Cal has given me just yet another reason to hate them.  Kiffin makes an even better villain than Carroll did.  Kiffykins has the same arrogance and douchebaggery that made me loathe Carroll, but then you get to add his love of committing constant violations and screwing over Tennessee on top of it all.

I would like to personally thank Southern Cal for this hire because you have now given me a constant stream of ammo to fire at your instituation.

Bravo!

Pardon My Dust

Welcome to the new look of NDtex.com!

As you might recognize, I am trying to migrate to a new format using WordPress as Blogger is no longer matching the ideas I have for the site that currently live in my head.  Personally, I love to write about whatever I feel like; however, I know not everyone else will share in all of my interests.  Blogger isn’t as reader friendly as I would like for navigation purposes.  I’m sure I could code some custom feeds and pages, but rule #1 of engineering is to be efficient and I don’t believe it will be wise to re-invent the wheel when there is already a great solution readily available.

My hope is that I will be able to separate all the content I’d like to write on in a way that is easy to find.  So whether you want to browse the latest ND news, Dallas Sports, or anything else, you can get to it and bookmark said pages if you wish.  Basically, I want readers and visitors to get to the content they want to see without trying to dig through archives and all kind of random labels.

So if you are wondering why my posting rate is continuing to decline, that is why.  I’m hoping to completely migrate everything to here very soon so I can resume business as usual!

In the meantime though, enjoy playing around with the new site, and feel free to comment with any feedback you have.  Some links might not work correctly, but I’ll be doing my best to get that all sorted (although everything seems to work as of now).  Don’t be surprised as well if you see some minor changes here and there as I continue to finalize everything.

Enjoy!

Did That Just Happen?

When we look back on this college football season, I think the above is the best way to describe it.  Had Hollywood submitted a script containing events that have transpired in the past couple of months, no one would’ve bought it as even the grandest of fictions.  Well, that is also assuming someone could have sat down and actually predict any of this.

As we entered the bowl season, the biggest story was about Notre Dame firing Weis and hunting down a head coach.  Remember when we all thought that was crazy?  I mean there was all kinds of “turmoil” around (the Internet) regarding rumors that Stoops would be our next head coach.  Of course he continually denied said rumors, and somehow, many a Notre Dame was shocked and a small section downright appalled that Notre Dame could no longer land a “big name” coach and we had to “settle” for Brian Kelly.

All that “drama” became child’s play as college football (and blog writers) were soon given a Christmas keep that has kept on giving: everyone went batshit crazy.  It was one of those things in which you remember exactly where you were and how you first heard the news that everything you once thought was stable in college football would be turned upside down for no reason.

Personally, I was out with my family about an hour outside of Auburn, awaiting a tour of some Christmas lights that my sister had known about.  While we were waiting, I decided on a whim to check Twitter to see if anything was going on.  And then I saw a tweet I was sure was a joke: Urban Meyer is resigning for health reasons.  Yeah, sure…no wait…everyone on ESPN and SI is tweeting this…now there’s an official statement…

And then I started to burst out laughing uncontrollably and then my sister followed when I relayed the news.

But oh no, let’s not stop there.  The Gators had a “spirited” practice and Urban Meyer had a change of heart and wanted an indefinite leave of absence.  Oh, and Mr. I’m-doing-this-for-my-family, made sure that they were the last to know; in fact, his wife went on record to say there was no way her dear husband would change his mind.  Then a few hours later she’s sitting in a presser hearing her husband change his mind yet again, saying he expects to coach next fall.

As if that whole situation wasn’t crazy enough, that same week, the Pirate Captain of Lubbock decided to lock a concussed Adam James in an equipment shed (or “garage” — semantics) during a practice.  To make sure Leach got his point across to James, he then locked him in the visitor’s media room.

And how did this come to light?  Well, it seems ESPN analyst Craig James wasn’t able to sleep at night knowing that he has only aided in destroying one school’s football program so he went for another one and when public.  So armed with his kid’s story and some apparent video proof from his son, a shot was fired directly into the hull of Leach’s happy little pirate ship, starting shit-slinging the likes of which I can’t remember ever seeing.

Texas Tech then went to immediately investigate the issue and suspended Leach indefinitely.  Leach, who is also a lawyer as well as a pirate, sued Tech’s ass and sought for the courts, yes the courts, to allow him to coach in the Alamo Bowl.  As the two sides met for their court date, Tech found a loophole to Leach’s loophole and fired him “with cause”.

The dust storms of Lubbock quickly turned into a shit storm of epic proportions.  Leach went on ESPN and scorched the earth saying Tech lied and even stated the training staff and doctors said he did no harm, a flood of emails came in supporting Leach, and news came out that questioned Adam’s attitude as well as his father’s motivations.  But oh no, it doesn’t stop there, soon a handful of players went on the record saying they were glad the pirate walked the plank and the training staff and doctors that Leach said supported him signed affidavits saying Leach went off the deep end and used language that would’ve made Charlie Weis blush.

Somehow in the midst of all of this Tech won the Alamo Bowl with interim coach Ruffin McNeill putting on one hell of a Leach impersonation, making it seem as if both quarterbacks and head coaches can be inserted into the Leach system at will.  However, Ruffin must have done too good of a job reminding the Tech administration of Leach because they decided to hire the offensive genius of….Tommy Tuberville?  However, Tommy tried to put Red Raider nation at ease though, saying he could retain the “Air Raid” offense.  To prove this, he fired six assistant coaches, including the offensive coordinator, and then hired another one from Troy.  I seem to remember what happened the last time Tubs tried this…he had to fire him after just seven games.

And to think, just one year ago, Texas Tech was in national title talks and on the verge of a BCS birth.

Of course, there was football still to be played and that had it’s own humor to it.  I’ve already made my thoughts on this season’s bowl offerings known, but the national title game had it’s own special brand of failure.

You see the BCS runs on one thing, and that one thing has continued to keep it alive: hype.  That’s why you have the “every week is playoff” line being tossed out constantly, it hypes every single game to ridiculous proportions.  Of course, a championship of a system completely built on hype equates to a game that has been over-analyzed and over-hyped every which way for well over a month (because crowning a champion after both teams haven’t played a down in over a month makes so much sense).

Of course none of that hype or analysis ever once considered a game in which Colt McCoy gets a pinched nerve in his throwing arm and knocks him out of the game (on one of the weakest hits ever).  So in comes a true freshmen getting his first real snaps on the biggest stage possible.  Predictably, he is a deer in the headlights and despite Alabama’s best initial efforts to hand Texas early points, the Texas offense was only able to amass 6 and the Alabama started actually playing a bit, as well as benefiting from a pick-six off a shovel pass to go into halftime with a 24-6 lead.  Saban then went ultra-conservative in the second half and the Tide did a whole lot of nothing (including seeing Heisman winner Ingram get sidelined with an injury for a bit).

All of this resulted in nearly three full quarters of the most unwatchable football that I’ve ever seen.  Yes, the biggest game of the year became a running punchline for most of the night.  The BCS fat cats were saved in the end though, as Texas was actually able to pull off a comeback thanks to Saban completely hitting the brakes for who knows what reason.  However, they will still not escape the fact that their most competitive and compelling BCS game featured two non-BCS schools.

As as the final whistle blew, we all thought it was time to kick back, relax and bid farewell to one crazy season.  However, it seems a handful of people around Southern Cal decided to shake things up just a bit and make everything that happened during the bowl season look like child’s play.

That story however will take a whole other blog post to cover.  Stay tuned for tomorrow’s installment which will include NCAA violations, crappy NFL teams, near riots, idiotic ADs, the worst press conference of all time, and of course:

How the Bowl System is Ruining College Football

I’m not sure what it is about this bowl season, but for one reason or another, I have simply finally had it with the current way that college football is being run.  I’m not even talking about the need for a playoff system (which make no mistake, I’m for), but even as things stand now, the bowl system is becoming a joke and a shell of itself.

I’ve always been at least moderately interested in the bowl season, and especially the BCS.  Let’s be honest here, if you give me good football on the field, I will tune in and be happy.  Sure, I’ll complain about the lack of a clear champion and playoff system, but I will at least be moderately satisfied even if I don’t have a dog in the fight.

This year however, I haven’t really been entertained in the least save for a handful of games.  On top of that, I haven’t exactly been to thrilled with the prospect of many of the matchups I have to choose from.  By doing a quick analysis, it isn’t hard to see why this year’s bowl season has fallen completely flat, and many of the bowls struggled to sell tickets.

Only nine of the thirty-three bowl games have featured matchups that pit two top-25 teams against each other.  Of course, five of these games are BCS bowls, meaning only four other bowl games got what would be a high-profile game.

But of course, rankings only mean so much, competitive football can still be compelling as we all know.  However, even putting that litmus test on this year’s bowl offerings still doesn’t help the bowl system’s cause.  Only 13 of the 33 games played thus far have been decided by a difference of a single possession (8 points or less).  That means only 39.3% of the games have even been what could be considered compelling football that goes down to the wire.  Even worse, what should be considered high-profile matchups have fallen flat on their faces too.  Of the 8 bowl games played so far that pitted two top-25 teams against each other, only 3 of those games have been decided by a difference of a single possession.  That would be a grand total of only 37.5% of those “big-time” bowl games being competitive.

Well what of our marque bowl games of the BCS?  Well, the only game decided by a single possession was the Fiesta Bowl.  That’s right, thus far the only game that has given us a game down to the wire came courtesy of two non-BCS teams.

And our title game? Very few people are even giving Texas a chance to hold a candle to Alabama (even though the line on the game is sitting at 4.5 in favor of the Tide).  Even if this game stays competitive though, that is only 2 of 5 (40%) of BCS games that would be considered highly competitive.

All of these percentages would be awesome for batting averages; however, when you are trying to put together a compelling postseason, as well as try to claim it is more compelling than a playoff, it is simply awful.

So why is this happening?  Simple, this style of postseason is easy to take advantage of and damn near anyone can get in.  The BCS loves to say playoffs are awful because of what they call “bracket creep”.  Basically, “bracket creep” is the theory that once you start making playoffs, you allow more teams to creep into the bracket.  Their favorite scapegoat is the NCAA Basketball tourney that features 65 teams.  They very rightly show how the tourney started much smaller and then grew to what it is now, and further point out that there are some that would like to see it grow further.

However, this slippery-slope theory is highly misguided.  There are 347 Division I Basketball teams that have a shot to make the tournament.  Only 65 of those teams will make the Big Dance, equating to only 18.7% of the teams making it.  The cream of the crop is definitely the only ones able to make postseason play.  However, Division I Basketball does have their own “lesser bowl” in the NIT tournament, which invites 32 teams annually.  So that combines for a total of 97 teams making it to some form of postseason play, equating to just under 28% of all Division I Basketball.  Even with the extra tourney involved, you are still getting the even less than the upper third of all teams involved.

But what of football?  Well, if you consider the BCS the cream-of-the-crop “Big Dance” type system, only 10 teams make that.  Considering there are 120 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, that means 8.3% of all FBS teams make the big time.  Pretty elite there.  However, what happens when we throw the other bowl games into the picture?  This year, 34 bowl games will be played, meaning we had 68 teams involved in postseason play.  That means 56.7% of all FBS teams made postseason play. Yes, over half of all FBS teams were able to take part in the “prestige and tradition” that is the bowl season.

While the BCS talking heads love to talk of “bracket creep”, we have quickly been slammed with “bowl creep”.  If NCAA hoops were to take this approach to their postseason play, both the Big Dance and NIT would need to combine to allow 172 teams into their postseason, equating to a first round of around 86 games. That would mean the NCAA postseason would easily eclipse 100 games…in just two rounds of play… Oh, and doing that would put in just under half off all Division I teams, football would still have more teams in postseason play percentage-wise.

Not only that, two more bowl games have been announced for college football in 2010.  That means 36 games will be played and 72 teams will play, meaning, in 2010, 60% of all FBS teams will be involved in postseason play.

Simply put, the bowl system has completely over-saturated college football’s postseason.  While the BCS is creating competition for the upper 10% of college football, beyond that everyone else is just looking to become bowl eligible.  The regular season then becomes a race to six wins for anyone not in the BCS or title picture, and one of those wins can be against a FCS (formerly Division I-AA) school.  All this does is lead to cupcake non-conference schedules in the regular season that “should be like a playoff” according to anyone in support of the bowl system.

When teams like Wyoming can make a bowl (and win…where did that come from?) and Notre Dame can even have the option to decline after going 6-6, something is very, very wrong.

These bowls used to mean something.  January 1st was college football day.  If you played in a New Year’s Day bowl, you have arrived.  With more bowl games, we were still fine, New Year’s Day was still special, and even served as a cutoff date between the crappy bowl games and the awesome ones.

Now the GMAC Bowl is played a day before the BCS Championship.  Someone restrain my excitement.

If college football is going to be so stubborn as to refuse to have a playoff, can we at least have a bowl postseason that’s worth a damn?  I don’t want to shift through games that involve teams that are .500 or barely over it.  Conference pissing matches don’t entertain me either.  Congrats, your conference won a couple more crappy bowl games than another conference, it doesn’t mean squat.

I don’t want to hear another BCS/Bowl System talking head talk about the “history and prestige” of this system when the majority of these bowls are rather recent developments.  You want to sell me on history and prestige, let’s make these suckers mean something to get into again.  I want to see no more than the upper third of FBS teams duking it out.  That would be 40 teams, and 20 bowl games.  To be honest that would still likely be too many; however, it would cut the majority of the suck out of the bowl season.  By cutting down the number of teams you take it, you will likely not be able to have a magic number of wins as a cutoff.

And that changes everything.

Getting 6, 7 and likely even 8 wins means nothing.  There will be far more than 40 teams around the 7 or 8 win mark.  Then bowl games have to look at the better teams to pick, and how do you do that? Strength of schedule.  Now playing those cupcake teams starts to really sting when even 8 wins fails to secure a bowl bid, forcing teams to schedule tougher opponents and avoiding the dodging of teams like TCU and Boise State.  This would make the regular season even more intriguing and create several more solid non-conference games than we have seen in a long time.

However, as it stands now, expect to see much of the same: top tier teams that see no reason to schedule tough non-conference opponents and lesser tier teams doing whatever they can to schedule their way into becoming bowl eligible.

Thank God we aren’t bothering with an awful playoff system, this is much better…